Bill Streicher
Locals mourning the Phillies' demise got some insult to go along with the injury on Thursday.
Sixers forward Paul George is expected to make his preseason debut on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Hmm, maybe Friday night isn't so shot after all?
Not so fast.
NBC Sports Philadelphia is only televising the team's home preseason games, the Sixers announced when they made their preseason schedule public in late September.
This game? Well, it's being played in Des Moines, Iowa.
So, no NLDS Game 5, and the local channel can't fill the void, either.
In fairness, neither team is broadcasting the game locally, a league source told On Pattison on Thursday afternoon.
But, that doesn't mean the George debut will occur without anyone to watch.
The NBA will put an in-arena feed of the game on League Pass, a league official told On Pattison.
However, there is a discrepancy in the way an in-arena feed and a formalized broadcast are transmitted. So, not all distributors of League Pass will be able to accept the feed that the NBA will provide.
But, according to a league source, YouTube TV seems to be a provider who will be able to accept the feed on NBA TV.
So, you may be able to watch the game. You'll just have to dig around your resources to find it instead of going to NBC Sports Philadelphia as you normally would.
The game is scheduled to be aired on NBA TV for YouTube TV subscribers, but that might be dependent upon location. What I'm seeing on YouTube TV from my location might not be what everyone else is seeing on the streaming service from their locations.
As for what an in-arena feed looks like, well, it's unclear.
But, play-by-play broadcasters, color commentators and sideline reporters are usually employed by the network that carries the game.
If no local or national network is telecasting the game, I would imagine those personalities will be absent.
So, I'd guess you're looking at a scenario in which the crowd, PA announcer, players and coaches talking on the court and shoes squeaking on the hardwoods provide all the audio for the feed. Or, perhaps it'll just be totally silent, visual being the only offering.
As for the camera feed, I would think there are two possibilities. One would be a centralized camera angle, similar to the one you'd have for a regularly televised game. Maybe it follows the action and moves side to side, maybe it stays zoomed out and gives an un-focused view of the whole court.
The other possibility I can think of is a bunch of zoomed-in views from different angles, alternating as play takes its natural course.
Again, these are guesses. The instinct could be wrong. But, the Sixers had a preseason game back in the 2019-20 season that was similar to this. I forget how it was streamed, but it was an away game that had a very non-traditional video feed showing the action.
Whatever the case, fear not, Sixers fans. Your Friday night still has a chance to be riveting.
